1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a gloss applicator applying gloss to an image formed on a recording medium, and an image forming apparatus including the gloss applicator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gloss applicators to apply gloss to images formed by image forming apparatuses such as copiers, facsimiles and printers, which are located in or outside of the image forming apparatuses are known.
Each of Japanese published unexamined patent applications Nos. JP-2009-14876-A, JP-2004-325934-A, JP-H05-333643-A, JP-2013-3518-A, JP-2004-198844-A and JP-2005-148438-A discloses a gloss applicator including a belt feeding a recording material, a heater heating the belt, and a cooler cooling the belt, which heats and cools the recording material to transfer the surface status of the belt the recording material to apply gloss to an image on the recording material
Each of the above Japanese published unexamined patent applications discloses the belt includes a substrate and an elastic layer formed of a rubber overlying the substrate.
Japanese published unexamined patent application No. JP-2013-3518-A discloses a method of suctioning the belt and improves contactness between the recording material being fed and the belt to prevent or decrease wrinkles and waves of the belt while feeding the recording material. Japanese published unexamined patent application No. JP-2004-198844-A discloses a method of keeping a linear expansion coefficient of the substrate not greater than 1 ppm/° C. to prevent or decrease wrinkles and waves of the belt while feeding the recording material. Each of Japanese published unexamined patent applications Nos. JP-2010-187324-A and JP-2012-254621-A discloses a film material having a linear expansion coefficient not greater than 5 ppm/° C.
However, a belt having an elastic layer does not fully transfer a pressure to the surface of a recording material when overlapped thereon to apply the pressure thereto due to elastic deformation.
A belt without an elastic layer has poor releasability from a recording material.